"Joe"  wrote in message
news:qavd11t6c144ajo7ljp38t2h4tus7d8tmc{at}4ax.com...
>
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050219/ap_on_re_us/gorilla_lawsuit&e=1
>
> Fri Feb 18,11:24 PM ET
>
>
> By MAY WONG, Associated Press writer
>
> WOODSIDE, Calif. - Two fired caretakers for Koko, the world-famous
> sign-language-speaking gorilla, have sued their former bosses,
> claiming they were pressured to expose their breasts as a way of
> bonding with the 300-pound simian.
>
>
>
> Nancy Alperin and Kendra Keller, both of San Francisco, claim they
> were subjected to sexual discrimination and then wrongfully terminated
> after reporting health and safety violations at Koko's home in
> Woodside, an upscale town in the south San Francisco Bay area.
>
>
> The lawsuit against the Gorilla Foundation and its president, Francine
> "Penny" Patterson, the longtime trainer of the well-known gorilla, was
> filed this week in San Mateo County Superior Court. It seeks damages
> totaling more than $1 million.
>
>
> Foundation attorney Todd Roberts said the case mischaracterizes the
> foundation and turns a "purported employment issue" into publicity
> "hurtful" for a reputable organization.
>
>
> "We unequivocally deny these allegations and are confident that this
> case lacks merit," Roberts said.
>
>
> Alperin and Keller were hired last year and were among 16 employees of
> the foundation, which was founded in 1976 to promote the preservation
> and study of gorillas. It is best known for Koko, who has mastered a
> vocabulary of more than 1,000 signs; the foundation says she has
> advanced further in language than any other non-human.
>
>
> The suit claims Patterson pressured the two women on several occasions
> to expose their breasts to Koko, a 33-year-old female - sometimes in
> situations where other employees could potentially view their bodies.
> The women never undressed, said their attorney, Stephen Sommers of San
> Francisco.
>
>
> They were threatened that if they "did not indulge Koko's nipple
> fetish, their employment with the Gorilla Foundation would suffer,"
> the lawsuit alleged.
>
>
> The lawsuit claims that on one occasion Patterson said, "'Koko, you
> see my nipples all the time. You are probably bored with my nipples.
> You need to see new nipples.'"
>
>
> In addition to the alleged harassment, the two former workers claimed
> the Woodside facility had unsanitary and unsafe conditions, including
> rodents in the food preparation area and gorilla urine stored in the
> refrigerator where workers kept their lunches.
>
>
> They complained to the California Division of Occupational Safety and
> Health and were fired on Aug. 6, the day after inspectors visited the
> site and found code violations, according to the lawsuit.
>
>
> The lawsuit also claims the nonprofit failed to pay for overtime and
> provide rest breaks.
>
> ------
>
> Even Koko's a sexual harrasser!  "The women never undressed, said
> their attorney, Stephen Sommers of San Francisco."  They didn't even
> expose themselves in this quest for easy money!
>
>
>
>




--- UseNet To RIME Gateway {at} 2/19/05 5:24:45 AM ---